6 Reasons Why You Should Take a Sleeper Train

This Southern Girl
Jan 31, 2017
2 min read

I have now completed four overnight sleeper trains spanning across two continents and three countries and there is one thing that is for certain, this is the way to travel! And here are my reasons why.

It's transport and accommodation all in one!

If you've budget traveled at all you know changing locations can get expensive and we're not just talking deep on the pockets but it can also cut into your valuable time. Sleeper trains are typically pretty reasonably priced, especially if you've opted to book in advance, deliver you to your desired designation without all the hassle of airport security and provide you with a good nights sleep. What's not to love?!

Trains typically run on time

Sure, that's not always the case, one of our overnight trains in Thailand actually broke down about 4 hours into the journey and we sat on the tracks for 3 hours while they fixed it. So, there's always an exception to this rule, but on average trains are pretty spot on. In Germany, the schedules work like clock work and often leave a minute before their scheduled departures, while in England train delays are a lot more common. For a country with mediocre weather they really struggle with any kind of extreme climate change or even just rain for that matter. We took a gamble and jumped on an overnight sleeper train in Finland and arrived at the airport two minutes early refreshed and loving life.

There's a bar on board

Yup. That's right. You don't get a stand up, hang out and chat with your fellow travelling buddies on an economy class flight. And want to hear something even better, BYOB is a-ok! So, safe your pennies and stock up on your drink and snacks of choice before boarding. A couple tips; one, make friends with the train attendants early. You might need to ask them to reopen that on board bar when you're personal stash runs out. And two, don't forget to pack the playing cards!

You get a bed!

'Enough said, right? You're going to be wanting to lie down your buzzing little head once you get back from the bar.

Freedom to get up and walk around

This is a big one for me. I hate that confided claustrophobic feeling of an airplane. Trains give you the freedom to get up and move around and if you needed too you can always get off the train at an earlier stop.

You might make a new friend

You're travelling and you've probably been meeting people everywhere. This train is no different! Sure you might find yourself surrounded by families with screaming children, but that will just bring you closer to that lone traveler two doors down. Our Thailand trains were some of our greatest adventures and we landed ourselves in the same compartment with a nice French guy about our ages. We spent the night playing games and sharing our plans for the rest of our trip. When we finally got off the train he joined us on a 2 day trek up a mountain. Never be afraid to say hello!